Awards

The Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program demonstrates Bayer's commitment to the bleeding disorders community and to advancing the state of the art of hemophilia care.

As Award decisions are taken by the independent Grants Review and Awards Committee and based on an applicant’s merit and eligibility, all decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Special Project Award

The Special Project Award is designed to support a wide range of research projects in the field of hemophilia. Examples of the types of projects that might be considered for these awards include, but are not limited to, those related to:

Clinical research

Basic research

Assessment and intervention in psychosocial issues facing patients and their families

Assessment of quality of life and other health economic outcomes in patients with bleeding disorders, and the effects of treatment modalities on such outcomes.

New for 2017, the Clinical Study Award, a subcategory of the Special Project Award, designed to provide support to clinical investigators. For further information, please contact the Program Administrator.

The Award is designed to encourage hypothesis-driven research, where the investigator is attempting to prove or disprove a set of assumptions. It is not designed to support studies such as the collection of epidemiological data.

Any individual affiliated with a facility that provides care to hemophilia patients - including medical universities, hospitals, blood centers and other laboratories - may make requests for grants. Each grant will be reviewed on its merit.

Applicants will be judged according to the following criteria:

Scientific merit

Innovation

Clinical/medical impact

Quality of research environment

Alignment with program mission and objectives.

The funding will be awarded to allow the project to run for one or two years. Up to three new awards will be made annually. The maximum grant is US$70,000 over one year or US$140,000 over two years. Part of the Award may fund salary support. The candidate must spend at least 25% of his/her time on the project in order to request salary support.

Outcomes Research

“Outcomes research seeks to understand the end results of particular healthcare practices and interventions. End results include effects that people experience and care about, such as change in the ability to function. In particular, for individuals with chronic conditions – where cure is not always possible – end results include quality of life as well as mortality. By linking the care people get to the outcomes they experience, outcomes research has become the key to developing better ways to monitor and improve the quality of care.”¹

This specific one-off award category is open to healthcare professionals who are also eligible for the main categories, i.e. clinicians, investigators and allied healthcare professionals affiliated with a facility that carries out research into inherited bleeding disorders, or provides care to patients with such disorders.

The award is intended to encourage outcomes research in haemophilia and other hereditary bleeding disorders. Over the last decade a range of outcome assessment tools have been developed to record the natural history of bleeding disorders and the result of therapeutic interventions. In this category we would therefore like to invite applications that look at further development of relevant tools of outcome assessment or their validation and applications in different health care situations. Examples of the types of projects that might be considered for this award include, but are not limited to, those related to:

Use of different clinimetric instruments to assess bleeding disorders and the outcome of therapeutic interventions

Health economic outcomes research

Patient-reported outcomes and patient preferences

Quality of life.

Applicants will be judged by the same criteria as the other categories, i.e. project’s merit, innovation, potential for impact and quality of environment in which the project will be undertaken.

The funding will be awarded to allow the project to run for one or two years. The maximum grant is US $25,000 per year.

Early Career Investigator Award

This award will fund salary support and research funds for a junior faculty member who wishes to undertake a mentored basic and/or clinical research project in the bleeding disorders field. The applicant would be expected to dedicate a significant amount of time to the project. Examples of topics for research projects that might be considered for these awards include, but are not limited to:

New for 2017, the Clinical Study Award, a subcategory of the Early Career Investigator Award, designed to provide support to clinical investigators. For further information, please contact the Program Administrator.

The criteria by which applications will be judged include:

Scientific merit of hypotheses and experimental approach

Innovation in design, methodology and objectives

Impact on future clinical or scientific understanding of bleeding disorders

Mentor and research environment.

Early Career Investigator Awards will provide funding of US$70,000 annually for two years. Up to three new awards will be made each year. Part of the Award may fund salary support. The candidate must spend at least 25% of his/her time on the project in order to request salary support.

Fellowship Project Award

This award is intended to facilitate the development of clinical and research expertise in the field of hemophilia for applicants who have completed medical training and have an interest in pursuing a career as a hemophilia clinician.
The award will support a mentored physician for up to two years, who will be expected to undertake both a research project as well as clinical training.

The criteria by which applications will be judged include:

Merit of applicant and approach

Design and rationale of research project

Design and rationale of the proposed clinical training program.

Potential for successful development of the applicant as a clinical expert in the treatment of hemophilia

Mentor and learning environment.

Commitment of applicant and mentor to hemophilia

Clinical Training awards will provide funding of up to US$70,000 annually for two years. Up to three new awards will be made each year.

Caregiver Award

This award recognizes the essential role of caregivers and allied health care professionals in the care of patients with hemophilia. It is designed to support their role by promoting education, training and other activities in the field of hemophilia. This may include, but is not limited to, the development of educational experiences (for patients, other caregivers and/or the applicant), counseling initiatives, seminars/symposia, written and electronic materials, websites and other communication tools and services.

The criteria by which applications will be judged include:

Clarity of rationale and objectives

Strength of plan, including project’s objective and how these will be measured

Importance and potential impact of project

Plans for dissemination of project’s findings

The duration of the award is one year. Up to two new awards of up to US$25,000 will be made annually. Part of the Award may fund salary support. The candidate must spend at least 25% of his or her time on the project in order to request salary support.

Eligibility

Special Project Award / Outcomes Research Award

Any individual affiliated with a facility that carries out research in inherited bleeding disorders, or provides care to patients with those disorders, may make a request for these grants. Such facilities may include medical universities, hospitals, treatment centers, blood centers and other laboratories.

Early Career Investigator Award

The applicant should have an entry-level academic or clinical appointment within his or her institution. This award is open to applicants with a medical degree and/or PhD. Applicants should have earned their terminal degree within the previous 10 years. Special dispensation may be considered for extenuating circumstances such as maternity leave, military duty, sickness, etc.

Fellowship Project Award

The applicant should have earned his/her medical degree within the previous eight years. The applicant may not have received previous funding from this award category.

Caregiver Award

Requests for these grants must come from caregivers and allied health care professionals involved in the care of patients with hemophilia. These may include nurses and nurse practitioners, physical therapists, pharmacists, psychiatrists, psychologists, genetic counselors, social workers, laboratory personnel, clinical dieticians, dentists and dental hygienists, among others. The Award is not designed for medically qualified hematologists who treat patients with bleeding disorders, or administrators.